Amtrak revived the Palmetto name in 1979, now operating it as a day train, on the opposite schedule from the Silver Service trains, the Silver Meteor and the Silver Star, that went to Florida.

In 1990, the Palmetto was extended to Jacksonville, and in 1993, it was extended to Tampa as the replacement for the Tampa section of the Silver Meteor, gaining sleeping car service in the process.

Amtrak's 1995 budget cuts resulted in the discontinuance of the Palmetto. Its train numbers and schedule were later revived as the Silver Palm. Then, on April 29, 2002, when the Silver Palm lost its sleeping car in favor of a business class coach, it was renamed the Palmetto to distinguish it from the other two Silver Service trains that still featured sleping car service.